Treasure Box Wednesday: Glass Amass

Hey there, folks! Well, I've successfully moved my Dad up north with me-- it was a long, strange adventure, but eventually we made it-- and I thought it was time to give you all some new pretties to look at.

I'd been hoping I'd come back from Florida with lovely shots of local flora and fauna, but unfortunately my activities didn't get a chance to run in that direction. So my first break in the last week led me to a little Thrift Therapy!

The first item I found was this cute little pottery bird planter. I think it might be California pottery, but haven't verified yet...
I liked the glaze, particularly around their feet.

I also got my hands on this pretty lusterware plate...
It's funny only recently I've found some interesting lusterware pieces after not seeing any for quite a while. The cycle of thrift is always surprising.

And last, I netted this stained glass lampshade...
I think it might be designed to go on some kind of jar candle, but I'm not sure yet. Anyway, the roses and general colors spoke to me. And at just $3 it seemed well worth it.

So that's what's in the Treasure Box for this week. I hope the week ahead of you is filled with shiny goodness, too!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Never Too Chicken for Thrifty Adventure!

Saturday the rain came down in buckets at times, but the lure of a day out adventuring for this chick was just too strong to deny. And as a result I came up with what I consider pretty nifty, thrifty fortune...

I had popped by Construction Junction just to see what was junkin', and didn't get very far in the store before I spied an unframed 24 inch by 40 inch antique stained glass window with a crest on it...
...For $25.

Let me just write that again: $25.

It's the panel above in the lower center. You can see how it coordinates with the crest windows I already had hanging. So, well, I had that baby in my hands in about three seconds flat and didn't even look around the rest of the store before I was heading to the register.

And it's probably just as well, too, as the window continued to cause a little stir on its way out the store. Folks in line pondered its history, marveled at its price and one lady even called her friend over to see it.

Talk about timing! And with a quick assemble-it-yourself frame I pieced together from Michaels' to sturdy it up, it's very happy in its new home.

Another favorite item of recent finds was this colorful vintage print of a cherubic little girl, chicks and her beloved St. Bernard in a farmyard...

The print was just so incredibly cheerful, I was unable to resist. It's hanging in my hallway now, so I can enjoy the scene as I pass through daily.

And lastly, I uncovered this cool old playbill from a performance of Richard III...
Long-time readers might remember I have Edwin Austin Abbey and Millais prints in my livingroom related to the Richard III tale, so I thought this play information, in its very medieval-looking frame, would be a nice addition. It's a bit worse for wear, but then Richard III didn't exactly have a cakewalk reign, either.

Anyway, that puts the lid back on today's Treasure Box. If you missed Sunday's post on eccentric knitwear modeling in "The Spinnerin Wives" click here.

Otherwise, perhaps I'll see you for our next post. Just as an FYI, I may move it to Monday, as I have a friend visiting this weekend and I doubt there's going to be a whole lot of blogging time. But I'll see you soon!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Picture (Window) Perfect

The Treasure Box for this week echoes a bit. Though, admittedly, the things in it were both oddly thrifty and items I'm delighted to have uncovered.

One was this lovely little stained glass window panel I found at-- of all places-- TJ Maxx...
I'd been thinking someday I'd find an antique window at Construction Junction architectural salvage, or a flea market, to sit in the large picture window in my dining room. But my brain apparently had a really specific color palette in mind.

When I saw this one hanging on the wall of TJ Maxx, well, it was one of those instant, "Yes, that's the one-- mine, please," moments. And I had it in my hand and then at the cash register, breaking some land-speed records.

I'm really pleased with how it coordinates with all the Westmoreland county glass pieces I already had there.

The other item was one I forgot to show you all the other week, after my trip to Ohio. At just $5.50 for a plate from 1910, it was a steal. It's a fairly collectible Knowles, Taylor Knowles plate, and I liked the early 1800s style image...
It's called The Broken Jug, and the symbol, really, is a bit sad. I believe it's meant to suggest she lost a baby. Just look at how her hands are positioned. Even the gargoyle behind her seems to express pity.

But I thought the piece was lovely, if wistful. And I just need to find the right place for it.

On a happier note, and so you all don't feel you came all the way over here today for nothing, the reason I wasn't doing much thrifting this week was because I was off at Mel Brooks' play, "Young Frankenstein." (Which was hysterical-- excellent show!) And I have a rather funny experience to share with you related to that, if you have a moment and don't mind clicking over to my humor blog, Of Cabbages and Kings.

If any of you have ever parked in an unfamiliar city parking garage, I think you will be able to identify with my tale. You can check that out by clicking here.

Sunday, I hope to bring you along with me (in spirit) to the Annual Regent Square Neighborhood Yard Sale-- weather (and imagination) willing.

Take care!

No Stained Glass Left Behind

Well, I suppose it's not as bad as some addictions. I mean, the cops won't pull me over and book me for it. I'll never have to endure a cavity search because of it. And in one of those VH1 "Behind the Music" specials, it wouldn't pose much of a Dramatic Downfall.

Still, I do loves me stained glass windows. And I'm not afraid to have one hanging in every window in this house.

As you can see, I liked the arched stained glass panel I'd gotten so much, I'd invested in a slightly
larger one for my livingroom windowseat area. I'd had the pair of shield stained glass windows for years-- one in the center, and one propped in that tricky area I'd corrected recently in that boarded up area.

Now both shield windows are getting some light and, while they've only been up a few hours, it seems to me like they've lived there all along.

Of course, these were the easy ones. What's been an interesting challenge is the painted stained glass window I'm working on for my kitchen!

I was aiming for something to match my brightly colored Fiesta ware. Something streamlined, yet still having a period feel. Given the quirkiness of the dishes, and the fact I have a number of pottery heart molds hanging around, I decided to go with a Rennie MacIntosh (art and crafts period) meets Alice in Wonderland look.

This was my initial design...
I bought an old plain window at Construction Junction architectural salvage today...
(Mind the feet.)

You'll probably all get a chuckle when I tell you how much it set me back. Can you guess?

No?

Well, how about $1.07?

I know; I had to ask the cashier to repeat that myself. Now that's the kind of cost I like in a craft project-- especially one that's an experiment that may go awry.

I still had some stick-on leading from my previous projects. So I started mapping out my design. Here we just have the border...
Now for the start of the MacIntosh roses...
As the piece started to take shape, it also started to deviate a little from my original plan. Not a bad thing-- sometimes flexibility is what makes a craft have character. Here you'll see where I have it now... Most of it is mapped out...
Once I'm completely happy with the design, I'll begin to paint in the color. That's actually the part I've been really looking forward to! But, as you can see, it seems to be shaping up all right.

I think I might cut out a heart shape from paper and try to get those hearts more consistent. It's been challenging adding them by just eyeballing them.

Anyway, that's where it stands. I hope to update you folks with it as it comes to a conclusion. Even if it doesn't work out, we can get some chuckles from the mistakes.

And as always, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing in the fun!

Transoms and Transformations

With a title like that, I probably should follow with a Jane Austen theme, shouldn't I? Ah, can't you see it now?...Pride and Prejudice... Sense and Sensibility... Transoms and Transformations...

"A cautionary social mores tale about a witty yet naive, upper-class 18th century young woman, designing stained glass windows the same way she pieces together the shattered love lives of those around her..."

Okay, so... no.

Fortunately, my actual stained glass window project was a little more successful than my knock-off Austen.

Yes-- when last we left the project, I was hoping to take the boarded-up window I'd inherited in my livingroom and stylishly add this...
To this...
Then I'd tried a gel stain (which you can supposedly paint on non-wood items, as well) in Aged Oak. One coat looked hopeful-- like this:
Unfortunately, Coat Two ended up looking like this...
Really dark and still not spread evenly. A third coat would have made it almost black. And black would have been the opposite of Improvement. So I shifted my gameplan.

I decided to paint over it with a lighter warm brown undercoat, let that dry, and then went over it in a darker brown topcoat. Then woodgrained it. Here's the dark brown coat...

And, would you believe a variety pack of haircombs from the drug store served as the appropriate woodgraining tools?

When done, I went over the whole thing with a clear Satin topcoat, to keep the shine down so it would match the rest of my faux wood painted baseboards. (Thankfully, it does!!)

Then came time to add the stained glass window panel. As the stained glass was a little smaller than the boarded up area, I decided I would faux finish the rest of the board to make it look like stained glass, too.

For each layer of "glass" I used a light paint and dark paint in the same general color palette, and blended while wet.
So here are the edges all taped off and painted. Uneven gradations and variation will help make it look more like stained glass (I did a lot of staring at real stained glass to figure out how it worked!)...
Now the inside. We tape off...
And add the green. This is a combination of Forest Green Folk Art paint and some leftover wall paint from this room. That color is called "Celadon" by Eddie Bauer, in their Craftsman collection.
Now we move on to the middle block to surround the arced stained glass. This was done in some of the tans for the first layer, along with some of the brown used for the window frame. The corners also got a little pop of red...
And here I fit the stained glass panel into place, to double-check that it fits.
Last, I used some stick-on craft leading I'd picked up ages ago for another project, and added them in, extending the real-lead lines of the actual stained glass window in to the new faux ones.
And voila! Completed window!

Oh wait-- let's not forget the McCoy vase collection to match!...
Phew! I'm kinda tired now! Where's Mr. Darcy? It's time to take a nice, quiet night off.

Thanks for bearing with me everyone, while I completed the project.

And I hope you all have a marvelous rest of your week.

Stained Glass Window Opening Soon

The final transformation of the window above into the faux-painted oak and stained glass feature wall is taking just a tad longer than... well, normal post publication time.

So I thought those who were asking how it was going would forgive me if I postponed sharing the results until Monday or Tuesday-- when I could be assured it would be finished, and finished right!

I'm pleased at the way it's coming along, actually. And I think you folks might be tickled, too.

Right now I'm off to pop an ibuprofen or two-- climbing and balancing for hours on ladders is a great thigh workout, but not so spiffy on the arms, neck and shoulders.

Ah, but like all good projects, the pain balances out with satisfaction for a job well-done.

Here's hope the readers who got crushed with snow have been able to enjoy the quiet time a little-- and aren't in traction from all the shoveling. And for the rest, who haven't had to deal with this season's serious dose of Old Man Winter, well... Try not to rub it in too much.

Or at least wait until our Shoveler's Elbow goes away.

Talk to you all soon!

Paint It Back

"I see that white frame and I want to paint it back...."
-Misquote of the Rolling Stones, with apologies-- only they haven't seen my living room window

My house was built at the turn of the 1900s. And while a number of things remain just as they were over 100 years ago, other things have evolved over time to suit changing tastes.

At one point, this meant someone had switched the orientation of the staircase, in order to add a coat closet underneath.

In another case, it meant someone had closed off a doorway to the kitchen from the entry hall, making a new entrance elsewhere.

And, perhaps even later, it meant blocking up the side window in my living room (which directly faces the neighbor's unsightly wall), and painting the Window Frame to Nowhere white.

The thing is, the white doesn't mean you come into the living room and think, "Window?-- What window?"

Or rather, it doesn't mean I do. Oh, I see it. I know it's there busy being not a real window and serving no actual function. Just lurking oddly on the wall.

It throws the balance of the room off. If I believed in feng and shui, I would say it was violating the two of them in some kind of purposeful anti-Zen conspiracy.

Or maybe that's just the fumes from today's project talking. It's hard to tell.

See, I've decided that the troublemaker window really needs to be painted the same type of faux woodgrain that the rest of the woodwork in that room had been done.
So, we will see how it goes in the next week. I've taped off. I've added a coat or two of a "aged oak". It's by no means finished, but I'm optimistic...
Or it could just be those fumes again.

The plan is to hang this William Morris type stained glass window panel in the center of it, once it's done, and place a few of my leafy McCoy pottery pieces on the ledge.
So, while I'm afraid today's post is probably a little anti-climactic-- as I don't have a finished project to share at the moment-- consider it a preview of things to come. Things that could look so beautiful, it will bring a shining tear to our eyes...

Or it could go so dadblasted horribly wrong, it'll make us all laugh ourselves off our chairs.

So, either way... win-win, really.

But wish me luck, would you? :)